Thank you to ChaosBalance for being my beta. Also, THANK YOU to all of you who have favorited this story or have left a review. They motivate me and keep me writing. Even if it's just one word, it means the world that someone took the time to let me know they liked my work. So without further ado, please enjoy.

11/11/17 update: I made a few small changes after rereading. A continuity error was caught and a few rough paragraphs were fixed that weren't caught before.

It was later in the day when it happened. Zack was sitting there getting through the insane amount of paperwork he had never bothered to work on before. He had the radio on in the background that he was using for white noise. The sound lulling him through a steady rhythm of reading reports, tossing Science Department requests, or signing his name.

The loud thud that hit his door had him almost falling out of his chair in surprise. When he had his bearings back, he looked at the door with a glare on his face ready to be mad at whoever was disturbing him. When there was an actual knock on the door he blinked in bewilderment. It had to be a trick.

"Zack. I know you're in there. Let us in." That threw him off even more. The only reason Angeal showed up at his office was to give him a lecture or give him more work. He didn't want either. What was more, was that he said 'us'. Who could he possibly have with him?

With a sigh of resignation Zack got up and went to unlock his door. The sight beyond the frame had him tilting his head in confusion. There was Angeal standing at the door waiting for him to open it, but behind him was Sephiroth, and kneeling on the floor next to him was Genesis cradling his wrist to his chest. Zack scratched the back of his head for a moment. After staring and being stared at for a minute, he finally motioned them into his office.

As soon as the door was shut, Angeal bluntly asked what was on his mind. "Would you care to explain the call I got from the Department of Administrative Research about you being a possible spy?"

If it was even possible, Zack's eyes grew even bigger. Shock and surprise warring on his face, before amusment won out. "Wow! That's a new one. I mean I was expecting this to be something to do with the cheesy orange juice." At the looks he received for that he coughed and averted his eyes before moving on. "Is this, in any way, shape, or form, related to me actually doing my paperwork for once?"

Angeal's face blanked, "I am choosing to ignore that first bit." He took a deep breath before continuing, "You actually did your paperwork? Without me having to ride your ass over it? Completely voluntarily, with no complaining, sitting still for hours on end?"

"SEE, I told you it wasn't a false alarm!" Genesis shouted as he glared at Angeal. He finished glaring at Angeal, then he looked at Zack in order to explain, "We're having an intervention for you. Something is wrong and we plan to figure out what."

"I'm more concerned that you might have had a bad reaction to the shot that was meant for me." Seph was staring at Zack. If you didn't know what you were looking for his face looked passive, but the minute crinkle at the corner of his eyes and the small furrow in his brow gave away the immense worry the Silverette was feeling.

"Okay, let's back up a second. You think I need an intervention because I grew up a bit and realized I have to get my work done?" Zack asked in slight amusement. Said amusement faded when what Sephiroth had said registered, "Wait, WHAT SHOT?"

"Seph, I asked you not to mention anything to him until the labs came back with the results." he said as he ran a hand down his face. "Zack, the Mako in your First-Class shot was different than the Mako normal SOLDIERs get. There was supposedly a mix up and you were given a shot meant for Sephiroth." He let out a small sigh as he closed his eyes. "They have no idea how the shot ended up being mixed with your booster. All they will say is that there should be no adverse effects."

"You're leaving out the part where if you hadn't had a nice long talk with the President, Hojo would have him down in the labs for study. Something about your lab results from your after-shot blood tests showing a mutation. The Hel if I know what he was going on about." Gen blurted from where he was reclined on the couch. "It's not like he can hide his sick obsessions from us."

Zack shuddered at the mention of Professor Creepy before tilting his head again, "So. You're telling me there should be no side effects from a shot that normally contains how many different experimental drugs? Add in the fact that now I supposedly have some sort of mutation and still there should be 'no side effects'? I call chocoboshit!" He closed his eyes for a moment and just breathed before slowly opening them again.

"Shiva's tits, nothing can be easy, can it?" Zack muttered before leaning his weight back on his desk. He looked up to see Angeal looking like he was about to have a conniption. "Please sit down before you pop a blood vessel or something."

Angeal's eyes narrowed as he eyed the way Zack was steadily, though still fidgety, composing himself. "You're taking this better than I thought you would," he said before slowly moving over to the nearest seat available.

Sephiroth followed Angeal to the couch and sat a respectable distance while still trying to give comfort. He knew that Angeal was worried out of his mind.

Zack looks at his hands as he starts talking. "Look, here's the deal…." he started before grabbing his head in agony.

Sephiroth, Genesis and Angeal were unable to notice Zack's pain, as they were overwhelmed with pain themselves.

Then they heard a voice, no... two voices.

'ULTIMA! NO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!' The Female was screeching so loud it felt like their brains were being flayed apart.

'Getting rid of YOU once and for all! You will no longer torment the WEAPONS, you will no longer enslave those poor Humans, YOU WILL NO LONGER TORTURE THOSE THAT LIVE WITHIN YOUR DEADLY GRASP, AND YOU WILL NO LONGER INFECT THIS PLANET WITH YOUR DISEASE! I am The Ultima, the Honorary Gold WEAPON and I have come TO ERADICATE THE SOURCE OF THE GEOSTIGMA PLAGUE!' The second voice was all male and it held a strength of will that spoke volumes. Not to mention that particular voice had a surprisingly soothing quality.

'Fuck Spikey, KICK THE BITCH'S ASS!' That was all Zack was able to get out before he was straining to desperately keep his grip on the web he had been idly exploring all morning, as he worked on improving his meditation while completing his paperwork. He had managed to identify several friends of his in the web, not to mention his three superiors, and he would be damned before he would let them die or just fade away.

The three First-Class SOLDIERs did their best to sort out the sensations they were feeling. They heard everything as clear as if it had been shouted in their ears, but it hadn't even been spoken aloud. Then they could feel Zack showering this Ultima and/or Spikey with love. Between the pain and confusion they felt the male Zack had called to, attempting to repair the damage the female had somehow caused.

The three Firsts felt their minds being touched. They came away with the sensation of exhaustion from this 'Ultima', although the love pouring from Zack seemed to be giving the 'Ultima' more energy. It did not explain why Zack was showering the 'Ultima' with love, but they conceded that it was not the time to ponder that question. He was doing something to a part of their minds they hadn't even been aware of. Their minds were being gently pulled; woven into a new configuration between the three Firsts, Zack, this Ultima, and all of the SOLDIER's.

Suddenly, there was a shift, and the mind that could only have belonged to 'Ultima' seemed to just expand and fill whatever void was left behind by the female's destruction. He slowly released the tension that felt like it was about to shatter their minds and in doing so it liberated them from the sheer pain into the relief of unconsciousness.

The squad of Thirds that had been tasked with investigating a cave that many travelers had gone missing near, suddenly stopped and crouched in near perfect unison. They had no other choice but to stop, seeing as how their heads had been about to split open by the screams of an unknown woman and man. The group felt the man reaching out to try and ease the burden of pain the woman's screaming had caused. They had been about to try to shake it off until they heard the man's voice louder than before and directed straight at them.

'NO, DON'T GO THERE! IT'S A MAKO-MUTATED KING BEHEMOTH! RUN!'

They blinked before comprehending the command. Pushing through the rising panic they tried to flee in time. Unfortunately they could hear the crashing of a great beast behind them. Looking back, they spotted the very monster they had been warned about thrashing around, working its way closer to the entrance of the cave, trying to track the squad as they raced away as fast as their enhancements could carry them.

It was only sheer dumb luck that one of the flare guns had become loose in its holder. Luck that had the gun slip free in the mad dash to safety. Luck that had the gun go off on impact with the ground. Sheer dumb luck, that the flare was sent straight into the monster's gaping maw. Sheer Dumb Luck that allowed them to get away while the beast thrashed in pain and make it back to the Helo that was waiting for them nearby.

If they had advanced only a little further, if they had gone only a little deeper, then the mutated King Behemoth would have managed to snag the chopper just as it was lifting off. The male voice they heard referred to as The Ultima, seemed to have been able to hold off their pain so that they could function long enough to attempt an escape to safety. When The Ultima finally drew back, the pain washed over them. Milder in its intensity, but still painful nonetheless. Blissful darkness took over as they passed out.

His warning could not have come at a better time.

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Preview for Chapter 6: "To give my old man the mother of all headaches. Vincent, start setting up the Reactor-Buster, and keep Ma safe. I'm going to sucker-punch a virus-bitch." Cloud snarled as he started for the reactor's inner room.